Outplacement: the professional support for career transition

Outplacement is a service that employers offer their dismissed employees to support them in their career transition. Traditionally, these programs aim to support those affected in their search for new employment. However, they can also be used as a stepping stone to self-employment. These programs usually offer:

• An in-depth career balance with skills assessment
• Training to develop new skills.
• Personal advice and support
• Resources for finding a job or setting up your own business

Why choose entrepreneurship?

There are several factors that motivate those affected by redundancy to opt for self-employment:

• Desire for autonomy: After working for a company, some people aspire to be their own boss and have more control over their professional life.
• Fulfillment of a dream: Redundancy can be seen as an opportunity to realize a long-awaited project of self-employment.
• Valorization of expertise: Some professionals choose to use their experience and expertise to develop their self-employment.
• Adapting to the job market: Faced with a sometimes difficult job market, self-employment is a viable alternative.
• Search for meaning: Starting your own business can meet the need to give your professional life more meaning.
• Work-life balance: Becoming self-employed can offer the opportunity to take control of your professional commitments and find a personal balance between your private and professional life.

Outplacement: the professional support for the transition to self-employment

Our special outplacement programs for business start-ups are designed to provide effective support for founders:

• Assessment of entrepreneurial skills: Identification of strengths and development potential to succeed as an entrepreneur.
• Training in business creation and management: acquiring the necessary skills in finance, marketing, business law, etc.
• Drawing up the business plan: Expert advice on how to clearly structure and present the project.
• Networking: Access to a network of professionals and entrepreneurs who can provide support and opportunities.
• Personal coaching: overcoming the stress and emotional challenges associated with the transition to self-employment.

The challenges of starting a business

Despite the benefits, this transition also comes with challenges:

• Financial uncertainty: Moving from a regular salary to a variable income can be stressful.
• Acquiring new skills: Becoming an entrepreneur often requires learning new skills quickly.
• Time management: It can be difficult to find a balance between the development of the project and personal life.
• Isolation: The transition from teamwork to individual entrepreneurship can be destabilizing.
• Pressure to succeed: The success of the project rests entirely on the shoulders of the founders.

OTP expertise for the transition to self-employment

As part of our outplacement programs, OTP supports a large number of people in Switzerland every year on their path to self-employment. From raising awareness of the topic of “self-employment” to drawing up a 3-year business plan, we accompany our clients through the various phases of the project. Most of our consultants have the experience of setting up their own business. This enables them to share their successes and difficulties with our clients. This experience is an added value for overcoming the challenges mentioned above.

If you are also considering the step into self-employment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Success factors in the job search

1. Work through the past and draw positive conclusions

I had experienced many ups and downs in my long career. Instead of being discouraged by the negative experience of being made redundant, I learned in coaching how to work it through and draw positive conclusions from it. 

2. Believe in yourself

During the coaching process, I realized that I had a lot to offer despite my age. While younger applicants often score points for dynamism, I was able to convince with my extensive experience, my in-depth specialist knowledge and my success stories. I have a wealth of experience, especially when it comes to difficult work situations and challenges.

3. Searching for job offers

I spent a lot of time researching and processing job offers. I set up search filters on various job portals so that I was always informed about new vacancies. My OTP coach continuously supported me in my job search by using the exclusive OTP job platform.

4. Apply, apply, apply

No pain, no gain – I took this motto to heart. I applied directly to companies and avoided going through recruitment agencies as often as possible. Every application was one more chance. After applications and unsuccessful first interviews I evaluated the rejections together with my coach. I quickly realized that proactive follow-up calls in these cases provided valuable information for the subsequent application process.  

5. Obtaining feedback

I also regularly sought feedback on my application dossier and my strategy from my coach, colleagues and acquaintances. This feedback helped me to constantly improve my documents and to align them to new job requirements.

6. Networking

The direct exchange within my network proved to be extremely helpful for me. I was able to make valuable new contacts and benefit from the experiences of others. Through the OTP webinar on networking techniques and procedures, I recognized the strengths of systematically building up this activity.

7. Professionalization with the help of coaching

With the help of my coach, I professionalized my approach to the job search and job interviews. I realized how important it is to be emotionally attuned to the interviewer and to show appreciation for them. The discussions with the coach repeatedly held up a mirror to me. With the coach’s outside perspective, even if I didn’t implement every one of his suggestions straight away, I was able to be more sensitive in my approach to job interviews and avoid one or two “blunders”. It became clear to me that success in these interviews depends heavily on winning over the other person emotionally.

8. Use the new technologies

AI-supported tools such as ChatGPT helped me to create my CV and cover letter. I also used Job Scan to find out how well my applications matched the job advertisements. In the feedback from my coach, however, I also realized that a purely AI-based letter lacked the personal touch of my professional history and my success stories. This meant that the AI-generated templates had to be edited again and again. 

9. Considered use of LinkedIn and XING

Although I was skeptical at first, I finally decided to make targeted use of LinkedIn and XING. I weighed up the benefits against the effort involved and used the platforms strategically for my job search.

Summary:

• You learn the most from your own mistakes.
• Don’t get lost in the jungle of information.
• You sell yourself – that’s the point.
• Brevity is the spice of life.
• You can score points with good questions.
• A coach as a sparring partner makes all thedifference: talking to him leads to creative
  and new solutions.

Conclusion

Taking off again professionally at the age of 59 is no easy task – but it is possible! My story shows impressively that with the right attitude, professional support and the will to learn, you can be successful even at an advanced age. Even if, as in my case, I sent out over 100 applications. 

The success proves me right: I found the company that saw me as the ideal project manager for its technical projects and offered me a contract after a trial working day. 

Let yourself be inspired and believe in your own abilities – because success knows no age!

S.P. Technical Project Manager

Are you interested in this topic? Then give us a call!

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Initial situation

Our client’s long-standing “Head of Sales and Marketing” is promoted to the role of “Commercial Director” as part of an internal reorganization. He was to be prepared for his new role in the best possible way. 

This new position, which involves a direct reporting line to the CEO and membership of the Executive Board, places high demands on his communication and leadership skills. In particular, he must be able to act in complex communication situations and take into account the different needs of his communication partners and find suitable solutions.

During the joint briefing, the new “Commercial Director” recognized the added value of the coaching and expressed his gratitude to his employer. 

Objectives

Our coaching pursued the following objectives:

• Clarity in the new role

To be able to find one’s place in the new role through clear boundaries and a deeper understanding of the new management position.

• Increase efficiency and effectiveness

To increase the personal efficiency and effectiveness by adapting the personal leadership behavior and reflecting the personal understanding of leadership. 

• Develop the personal leadership style

To further develop and adapt the personal leadership style and the relevant tools.

• Strengthen empathy and communication skills

To better understand the views and emotional states of one’s interlocutors and to manage the own communication behavior more consciously.

Results

The final debriefing of the coaching showed clear and sustainable developments, which were also confirmed by his feedback:

“I was impressed by my coach’s empathetic and structured approach.

When I started my new management position, I was excited, but also unsure how I would master the many challenges.

Thanks to the OTP coaching, I was able to master challenging communication situations with confidence. My coach helped me to recognize my strengths and use them in a targeted manner. Together, we developed strategies to lead my team effectively and at the same time drive my own development.

Today, I not only feel confident in my role, but am also able to inspire my team and motivate them to perform at their best. For me, the coaching was the key to a successful start and the foundation for long-term success in my new leadership role.”

Our client was also very satisfied with the positive development and the successful transition into the new management role. 

“Thanks to the coaching provided by OTP, our Commercial Director has successfully mastered the transition into his new leadership role. The targeted coaching sessions not only helped him to further develop his leadership skills, but also to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics within the team. The coaching has demonstrably enabled him to proactively tackle challenges and clearly define goals. 

The support was invaluable at this crucial stage of his career. We can recommend OTP’s coaching to anyone who wants to get off to a successful start in a new management position.

A win-win situation for everyone involved! 

Are you interested in this topic? Give us a call!

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Application parsing is intended to use AI to make it easier to select candidates and thus speed up the recruitment process. However, there are some challenges with parsing, e.g. that even qualified candidates are rejected due to formal errors or because the tool cannot interpret the documents submitted.

As a specialized outplacement consultancy operating throughout Switzerland, we are often asked by our clients how they should deal with “application parsing”. This and the current euphoria for AI prompted us to conduct a survey on the use of application parsing in Switzerland. The aim of the survey was to find out more about the use and satisfaction with the results.

1. Scope of the survey

Our survey was sent out in 3 languages (German, French, English) to over 4,000 customer contacts. The contacts were divided into different company sizes (according to the categorization of the federal government):

2. Results on the use of “application parsing”

We received the first interesting result on the use of parsing:

Only 6% of all responses use a parsing tool in their organization. This shows that the prevalence of parsing tools and their use tends to be overestimated.

Interestingly, not only large but also medium-sized organizations use parsing, in each case around 50% of the corresponding responses. 

3. Results from organizations that do not use parsing

For the organizations that do not use parsing, we were interested in the reasons for this:

“No need” was the most frequently cited reason for this question. However, the fact that parsing is too impersonal, error-prone and costly was also criticized. 

The following other reasons were highlighted:

• Shortage of skilled labor and personnel (large companies): 

• “Relying on a parser when there is a shortage of skilled labor and personnel makes no sense!”

• “Only useful for mass applications -> no longer relevant today!”

• The shortcomings of parsing (large companies)

• “The keyword search can only scan those applications that contain them – generational difference in technical terms”

• Our organization has not introduced parsing or has not yet dealt with it.

However, a small proportion of respondents (13%) stated that they would use a parsing tool in the future.

In summary, it can be said that some of the organizations have made a conscious decision not to use parsing, while the rest have not yet addressed the issue.

4. Results for organizations using parsing

Responses concerning the reasons for using parsing are fairly evenly distributed:

The responses indicate that cost reduction is not the main focus, but that process optimization, processing speed and an “objective assessment” of the dossiers are more important.

Parser use: jobs, tools and satisfaction

The large companies use in particular “Talentsoft” and “workday” as tools. Parsing is generally used for all jobs and satisfaction is average to less satisfied (“Had a more user-friendly system before”). 

Medium-sized companies use “Personio Recruiting; recruitee; onlyfy and Softgarden” as tools. Parsing is used in particular for specialists (skilled labor, technical specialists) and managers (team leaders) and here too, satisfaction is average.  

The shortcomings of parsing are named here: “However, a follow-up check of the screened applications is recommended. Because there are also good candidates who are rejected by the parsing process without any reason. The process is only suitable to a limited extent.”

Parser use: Problems

Basically, all users mention the “evaluation problems” (100%) as a shortcoming. One comment puts it in a nutshell: “Uncertainty in the parsing selection. The process virtually rewards linguistic application competence.” 

The following aspects were mentioned:

• Parsing does not make a linguistic interpretation: the technical terms in the job advertisement must be used identically. 
• The complexity of the profiles sought, which may require specific formulations, becomes a problem.  

• “Parsing has the risk that we miss out on suitable candidates, even though they fulfill the overall package when looking at the entire CV, but only if you interpret the CV and know the background of the functions”.

• There are sometimes different technical terms, which are used differently depending on the (up to date) training.

• “The keyword search can only scan those applications that contain them – generational differences in technical terms.”

• – Different job titles and technical terms for certain industries (and countries).

The fundamental criticism thus remains: “No machine can read between the lines and feel its way into a CV.”

5. Findings

• Application parsing is only used by a few organizations. Many non-users have specifically decided against using it.
• The shortcomings of parsing (evaluation problems = incorrect selection) are recognized by users and non-users alike.
• User satisfaction with parsing tools is average.
• Especially in times of a shortage of specialists and managers, their use is not seen as expedient.
• A small proportion of non-users want to get to grips with parsing in the future. This can be understood as an expression of the expectation of a qualitative development of AI.

For our outplacement clients and course participants, this means:

1. well-structured, appealing application documents with well-prepared content remain more successful than the purely textual image of the advertisement.
2. parsing must be taken into account in the application process insofar as the (technical) terms of the advertisements must be used (also applies to employers without parsing). However, the application documents must be enriched by the personal aspects of your own professional development, including personal strengths/successes.

For the use of AI in the HR application process, this means that

AI tools are as good as the underlying concept. Reducing the quality of an application to the naming of certain terms in the application documents does not do justice to the complexity of the issue. What is missing is a holistic view of the documents that combines structure, presentation and content.

Even if parsing is only used for the pre-selection of candidates, the result is not (yet) satisfactory.

Especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers and personnel, the usefulness of these tools must be questioned

Findings OTP (Download PDF)

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Being made redundant – the personal challenges of the situation

My redundancy brought with it many difficulties. The disappointment was strong, I missed the daily routine with my colleagues, I felt the dismissal was unfair after many successes at work and in the company.

But I refused to let it get me down and quickly started looking for new career opportunities.

However, the job search turned out to be extremely challenging. The days of simply opening a newspaper and finding a job are over. Today, there are numerous online job boards and networks such as LinkedIn that offer a wide range of opportunities – and yet I often felt overwhelmed and lost.

Initial setbacks sapped my motivation. It was difficult not to lose hope and fall into lethargy. However, I realized that I had to take control. From being a passive passenger, I became the active driver of my life. 

The solution: readiness for a career change

The approach I discovered with OTP opened up new perspectives in my job search by focusing on my skills and strengths. The skills analysis method differed significantly from the approach of conventional job boards, where people often think in narrow categories and look for exactly the job they had before. 

The new approach was the key for me to recognize my strengths and potential more clearly and to look for alternative jobs in a more targeted way. I was able to identify jobs that I would never have considered otherwise, but which turned out to be very suitable. This broadened my horizons and made the job search less daunting. I became more willing to consider new career paths, new jobs and new industries. And to change my career.

When asked how I worked out my skills, it becomes clear that it was a process of self-reflection. At the beginning, it was an arduous process of carefully going through all of the analyses and forms to identify strengths and weaknesses. However, this information proved to be extremely valuable in the interview. During my first online interview at my new company (with a new position in a new industry), I was asked to give an example of one of my transferable strengths, SAP data management. Thanks to the prepared examples, I was able to

This inner process of self-examination was crucial in overcoming the frustration and powerlessness that often accompanies unemployment. It motivated me to broaden my search and not just rely on traditional job advertisements

Self-reflection: coaching as a growth process

Coaching helped me to move forward with this arduous work. Although I wasn’t enthusiastic at first, my coach made it clear to me that it was important to have examples of my skills ready and to be able to present them for new professional challenges. This toolkit was crucial to my success. Yes, the coaching sessions played a crucial role. It wasn’t just about filling out forms.

Of course, you also need someone to keep reminding you that every action in the application process has a purpose. The process can be frustrating and you need occasional reassurance that you are actually making progress by moving forward. One other important role of the coach is to offer support when frustration arises. By jointly reviewing and confirming progress in the application process, the willingness to change professionally was strengthened, which ultimately led to success.  

My awareness of my own abilities and potential expanded during my coaching process, even after 20 years of professional experience. However, doubts also arose, particularly as to whether my existing skills were sufficient for new challenges. This uncertainty is normal and part of the application process. Coaching can help you overcome this uncertainty and take the initiative. It can show you where you can apply and what opportunities there are to take action. It’s not just about improving the application process, but also about finding the courage to embark on new paths and find success in the career change.

This inner process of coming to terms with myself was crucial in overcoming the frustration and powerlessness that came with unemployment. What makes a good coach is a mixture of empathy and pragmatism. It is important that the coach is empathetic, but at the same time provides the impetus to take action and take concrete steps to find a job. The point is not to remain passive, but to take the wheel and steer your life back on the right track. 

OTP Outplacement: Career counseling for personal growth

Outplacement is often associated with negative connotations that can indicate a supposed failure in professional life. However, outplacement at OTP is much more than just a job search program. It is career counseling. It offers personalized support from a coach who provides individual support and guidance that goes far beyond just the information available on the internet. This personal approach makes all the difference and has a major impact on success.

During the outplacement program, I not only reflected on my professional career, but also on my self-image and professional awareness. This reflection promotes the willingness to consider completely new jobs and to say goodbye to cherished professional activities. It can lead to a heightened awareness of one’s own abilities and potential, which can have a positive impact on future professional activities. It is a kind of personal growth that is a valuable asset for the future.

In my case, through the OTP’s outplacement program, I have developed an increased awareness of my professional skills and opportunities. I am sure that this will also support me in my future career.

OTP thanks our client for this exciting report. We would be happy to discuss this topic with you in more detail. Please contact us!

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These terms refer to the process of developing and updating skills and competencies, either to learn new technologies and working methods (upskilling) or to adapt or extend existing skills to meet the demands of new roles or responsibilities (reskilling).

The importance of reskilling and upskilling lies in several key factors:

1. Adaptability and future-proofing: In a rapidly changing workplace, it is of decisive importance that employees are flexible and able to adapt to new requirements and technologies. Through reskilling and upskilling, skills remain up-to-date and the employees have a better chance of being successful in their future career.
2. Competitiveness of companies: Companies that invest in upskilling their employees are better equipped to keep up with the changing demands of the market. They can drive innovation faster, retain and recruit qualified specialists and promote a culture of lifelong learning.
3. Solving skills shortages: In many industries, there is a shortage of skilled professionals with certain competencies and qualifications. By reskilling and upskilling, existing employees can be deployed more effectively and recruitment bottlenecks can be alleviated, ultimately increasing productivity and competitiveness.
4. Innovation and progress: New technologies and working procedures often offer unprecedented opportunities for innovation and progress. By providing employees with the necessary skills to use these technologies and apply them creatively, companies can open up new business opportunities and differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Our approach: OTP career management “CareerNavi”

OTP has a specific approach to reskilling and upskilling using a holistic career management that incorporates both the interests of the employee and the interests of the company. Our approach comprises the following steps:

Part1 ¦ My goals and values (analysis of own situation and preferences)

Part 2 ¦ My offer (analysis of my own skills portfolio)

Part 3 ¦ My employer’s goals and values (analysis of strategies and customer requirements)

Part 4¦ My employer’s offer (analysis of development opportunities)

Part 5 ¦ My career master plan (goals and milestones)

Part 6 ¦ Implementation of “My career masterplan” (concrete actions)

An essential part of personal career management is setting clear professional goals and designing a personal development plan to achieve these goals. This requires thorough self-reflection and a realistic assessment of one’s own abilities and interests. The OTP online platform offers sophisticated self-assessment tools for this self-reflection. This is then discussed and validated with the mentors and the coach. Based on these principles, the participant develops his/her personal goals and a plan for implementation. These goals and the plan are then compared with the employer’s goals and plans (represented by line managers, mentors and/or the HR department). Once defined, employees develop strategies to achieve their goals and actively manage their career development with the help of mentors and the coach.

In addition, individual career management also includes the development of soft skills and interpersonal skills that are crucial for professional success. This can include improving communication skills, time management, teamwork, or leadership skills. By specifically developing these skills, employees can not only increase their professional performance, but also improve their job satisfaction and motivation. As a result, they also stay longer in the organization.

Your benefits

The OTP approach to career management offers the following benefits:

• Stronger employee engagement through an integrated process with HR, mentors, and professional OTP career coaches
• An online platform developed specifically for this purpose, which can be adapted to the organization’s specific circumstances.
• Professional OTP career coaches who are familiar with current developments on the job market and provide employees with holistic support on career issues.

Overall, individual career management offers a structured and targeted approach to upskilling and reskilling that enables employees to achieve their professional goals and succeed in a constantly changing world of work. By continuously developing their skills, they remain competitive and are well equipped for the challenges of the future.

As an essential part of the modern workplace, individual career management not only promotes individual motivation and success, but also strengthens the competitiveness of companies and contributes to economic success. Talk to us!

Der Beitrag Career management for reskilling and upskilling erschien zuerst auf OTP.

This proactive approach can not only increase customer satisfaction, but also promote the generation of additional revenue and support the sales process. In this way, IT service employees make a significant contribution to building long-term positive relationships with customers and intensifying sales.

As the role of IT service employees changes, social and communicative consulting skills are becoming increasingly important alongside specialist technical skills. The soft skills required include a convincing appearance, confidence in decision-making situations, presentation skills and the ability to communicate appreciatively, advise and motivate customers. All of this is based on an entrepreneurial and sales-oriented understanding of the customer’s situation.

In summary, it can be said that it is becoming increasingly critical for IT companies to expand the mindset of their service employees.

The changing role of IT service employees: A hybrid training program for consulting skills at OTP

In order to support this change, the consulting firm OTP has developed a training program on the topic of “consulting skills” in collaboration with an IT company, based on many years of training experience in soft skills.

The six-month training program aims to transform the technical mentality and mindset of IT service employees into a consulting mindset. The program is characterized by a hybrid approach. It combines individual preparatory work, one-day classroom training and in-depth online coaching.

Advantages of the hybrid approach

The hybrid structure of the program means that information transfer and creative brainstorming on the module topics are outsourced to an individual preparation phase. This enables efficient face-to-face training that provides space for joint learning processes and complex exercises. The virtual elements in the form of individual coaching sessions are used for personal reflection and optimization of the implementation of the module content in consulting practice.

Learning objectives and modules of the program

The learning objectives include

• – Authentic and confident presentation in difficult conversations
• – Simple and understandable communication of complex knowledge
• – Convincing entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the long term 
• – Identifying customer bottlenecks and guiding them towards solutions (consultative selling)
• – Appreciative interaction with customers and employees
• – Implementing change projects that inspire customers
• – Positive shaping of the role change in the professional activity

The learning objectives are developed in six consecutive training modules (monthly cycle). The module topics are:

1. presentation 
2. rhetoric
3. consultative selling
4. conflict management
5. workshop moderation
6. digitalization of business processes 

Feedback and results: IT service employees with a new mindset after successful training program

Following the completion of the six-month “Consulting skills” training program for IT service employees by OTP, the feedback has been extremely positive.  

The feedback collected by the client documents a high level of satisfaction among participants with the program structure, content and training design. 

Tangible changes in customer interaction

The desired mindset changes can be seen directly in the daily work of IT service employees. In customer contact, they now take on presentation tasks and lead discussions with an enthusiasm and confidence that was previously lacking. This positive change is also reflected in the professional and sales-oriented design of customer events and meetings.

In-depth understanding of consulting and sales processes

An outstanding result of the program is the IT service employees’ deeper understanding of consulting and sales processes. They are now able to recognize upselling and cross-selling opportunities and communicate these to the company’s sales department in a targeted manner. This aspect not only demonstrates the effectiveness of the program, but also the direct applicability of the acquired knowledge in everyday working life.

Outlook and prospects

In view of the consistently positive feedback, our customer is planning to implement the training program for other IT service employees at the company. The successful transformation of the IT service employees into strategic consultants has not only increased customer satisfaction (and that of the employees), but has also had a positive impact on revenue generation and sales success. The program can therefore be seen as a pioneering example for the further development of IT service employees.

Der Beitrag IT service employees: From problem solving to sales-oriented consulting erschien zuerst auf OTP.

In addition to fundraising, the Swiss representative office is responsible for the entire association and congress management and comprises a small team of specialists.

Our Mission

The current Executive Director approached us due to his impending retirement. Our mission was to support him in the selection of applications that had already been received. At that time, more than a dozen promising applications from highly qualified candidates had already been received.

Tailor-made focus of selection

Based on our analysis, it turned out that the job profile and the selection criteria had to be adapted to the situation of the Swiss labor market. The next step was to adapt the American requirements profile to the views of the current Executive Director. This approach, with the associated adjustments, was decisive for the selection.

Preliminary clarifications by telephone

Questions regarding motivation, availability and salary expectations were then clarified in an initial telephone interview. This revealed the first differences in the extent to which the candidates had dealt with the potential employer and the challenges of the new position.

Structured interviews and the shortlist of recommendations

The telephone interviews produced a selection of interesting candidates from the EMEA region and the USA. In this phase, we conducted an in-depth, structured online interview with the candidates. These interviews revealed their personal characteristics, motivation and expectations and led to 5 potential candidates. A shortlist of individual recommendations was drawn up by us and forwarded to the American Board of Directors for review.

Interviews with the U.S. Executive Board

All candidates were given the opportunity to get to know the American Executive Board in an online interview. On the one hand, they were able to deepen their understanding of the challenges of the position and, on the other, the Board was able to confirm their impressions of the candidates’ personalities.

The decision-making interview and the reference clarifications

We then moderated the face-to-face interviews with the 3 selected finalists at our premises in Zurich. In the presence of the current Executive Director and the former President of the American Board of Directors, it soon became clear who the clear “match” was.

Reference checks confirmed our impressions and underpinned the selection. As the working conditions and terms of employment had been clarified in advance, there were no discussions and the employment contract was signed within a very short delay.

Feedback from the new Executive Director:

“Dear OTP. I am delighted to have visited your client’s office in Zurich earlier this week, met with the management team and signed the contract to become the next Executive Director from 2024. I would like to thank you very much for the smooth and pleasant selection process over the past months. The initial conversations with you by phone and Zoom have given me additional confidence that your client and the position would be a good fit for me, and also made me realize how I can best showcase my strengths.

I’m really looking forward to getting started next year. Thank you again and all the best!”

Feedback from our client, the current Executive Director Switzerland:

“Dear OTP Topscore team. You understood my specific requirements straight away and developed a deep understanding of my needs.

Your commitment to the careful analysis of the required profile was extremely helpful and effective for me. You accompanied and supported me professionally in all phases of the selection process. You always communicated clearly and engagingly on all sides and always kept an eye on the values practiced in our company.

For me, it was a successful “exercise”. I am more than satisfied with the result and am already looking forward to an exciting and successful collaboration with our new Executive Director.”

Der Beitrag Foundation (NPO) to appoint new Executive Director erschien zuerst auf OTP.

Executive-level managers – by contrast – are specifically distinguished by the fact that they have developed very diverse and complex skills and experience from working at various management levels within a company. In terms of age, they are often in the late 40s to late 50s with a correspondingly rich “job history”. They have helped shape corporate processes and usually have a complex set of professional qualifications, management skills and leadership competencies.

Our approach

With this in mind, executive outplacement is strategically oriented for executives when they lose their position: The next career step should be based on a clear understanding of the personal “career capital”, i.e. the skills, experience and networking potential that have been built up over the course of various leadership activities up to and including senior management. 

Reflecting on one’s own career history and exploring and evaluating career advancement is therefore the focus of executive outplacement.

Further development may mean seeking a new role, a more senior executive position, or even a move into a new field of activity that may lead out of management. Often, at this turning point in their career, executives also reflect on whether they have become “stuck” professionally and whether a fundamental change is now possible for them, which can also include greater life satisfaction.

OTP has many years of intensive experience in outplacement for executives at the highest levels of the hierarchy. They have worked in top positions and experience that even they are not immune to job loss. Triggering causes can be restructuring and strategy changes, shifts in the personnel portfolio of senior management or personal and conceptual disagreements with the previous manager. It is almost always a bitter setback for top executives, which often resembles a defeat and is difficult to cope with.

Our client

One of the clients we coached was the CEO of the Swiss company of a large international chemical company. He was unexpectedly dismissed from his position from one day to the next, his emotions alternating between anger, frustration and disappointment. It is not unusual for top managers to fall into a deep hole. Our client felt the same way as many managers: The termination was far more than just the loss of his job. Performance-oriented personalities like him define themselves by their professional position, their leadership actions. If they have to leave the company, this not only affects their self-image, but also – as in our case – has a drastic impact on their private life. Managers who are dismissed are seized by self-doubt, by a sense of shock that can reverberate for weeks, and by a depressed mood that also becomes a burden on their families and friends.

Our process

In a first step, OTP’s coaching process was aimed at absorbing the experience of loss and at understanding and reflecting on the constellation that led to the termination. 

In retrospect, it became tangible that there were own parts in the process that forced the separation. It also became tangible that there were structural changes that could not be influenced by the client. As a result, the client opened up to develop a new, forward-looking career strategy together with the coach. In the beginning, it was essential to create a new reading of his own “job history” as a manager and to develop a suitable brand that underpinned his attractiveness and competence.

The now initiated career transition turned out to be a time of reflection – of clarifying the client’s specific needs and requirements with regard to future activities. In a careful diagnostic phase, the individual competencies and “success stories” as well as the understanding of leadership were captured and identified in the perfected CV as the track record they represent.

The coaching used creative coaching techniques such as evaluation and decision matrices to evaluate variants of the future career path and to check their suitability for the client’s life concept. A continuation of the management position was considered as well as specific variants as a board member or interim manager. 

It was important for our client to understand that the classic application processes for top managers are hardly effective. Top positions, such as the ones mentioned, are rarely advertised in job portals.

OTP used its own network to open up discussions with private equity companies, board members and interim managers for the client. The end result was that the client decided to change direction.

The result

The analysis of his current situation had revealed an extensive national and international network in his industry, in customer companies and supplier companies. Intensified contacts in this network led to the fact that he was approached several times in his phase of reorientation from the network to support personnel search projects. Our client decided to work full-time in this field, which was new to him. 

Our coaching changed his character. The client was supported to take the first steps in an international consulting organization and to bring the broad spectrum of his management competencies into the HR business.

The client has gained a good foothold in his new area of responsibility and is very satisfied with his professional development.

Der Beitrag Executive outplacement – strategic consulting for the next career step erschien zuerst auf OTP.

They are motivated by the achievement of objectives and the realization of concrete projects. They are aware of their own influence on the various stages of the entire production or service chain, right up to the impact on the customer. This pragmatic approach makes it possible to skillfully navigate uncertainty while achieving concrete results. Our tailor-made approach offers the opportunity to succeed in this complex environment.

One of our customers, a major local bank, asked us to support them in this results-driven approach.

Our mission:

At the request of the quality manager of this local banking organization, we were asked to help her change the internal mindset by introducing a “results-oriented approach”. Employees in the various departments were to become aware of their influence on the overall result of the service chain for the end customer.

The company wanted a flexible, practical solution in the form of implementation-oriented workshops. The aim was to achieve concrete results based on the optimization of certain company processes. Hence the desire to establish an intrapreneurial mindset, i.e. to develop innovation and creativity, the capacity for calculated risk-taking, and responsibility, openness to change, collaboration and communication. All of this, of course, integrated within a framework of respect for the company’s constraints and values.

To successfully implement this approach, our customer wanted to ensure that its employees fully understood this new operating model. This is the only way to maximize the chances of success, and to reap the full benefits of this evolution.

Our approach to this mandate:

To reinforce adherence to the intrapreneurial approach, we guided employees through a series of key steps. Our method was based on concrete and pragmatic “pop-up” workshops (1h-1h30 maximum) to understand and cultivate the intrapreneurial spirit through practical examples and exercises. The following elements played a role in this process:

• Defining clear, measurable objectives (SMART objectives) and breaking them down into smaller, achievable steps to facilitate progress.
• Drawing up a detailed action plan to achieve set objectives, and understanding methods for identifying the resources needed, any obstacles and strategies for overcoming them.
• Deepen time and priority management techniques to optimize productivity. Emphasize the importance of prioritizing tasks according to their impact on results.
• Develop the skills needed to cope with challenges and failures (the principle of resilience) and how to take risks thoughtfully, weighing up the potential benefits against the risks involved.
• Monitor and evaluate progress against objectives. Recognize the importance of adapting activities based on results and of responding flexibly to change.
• Establish collaborative processes with team members, partners and stakeholders to leverage shared strengths and capabilities to achieve objectives.
• Organize internal communication so that different stakeholders develop a common understanding of expectations and progress, and align their activities with objectives.

Use the “results-oriented approach”:

This approach leads employees to reflect on their respective roles in the organizational process, and to assume greater responsibility for innovation. They become aware of the importance of each individual in the various phases of the process and projects. They focus on the evolution of their own activities, as well as departmental and corporate processes. 

Entrusting employees with intrapreneurial co-responsibility and developing a results-oriented environment with them not only increases their motivation, but also empowers them to successfully navigate uncertainty while achieving tangible results.

When these techniques and skills are put into practice, a results-oriented approach becomes a powerful engine for achieving goals.

Der Beitrag A results-oriented approach to developing intrapreneurship skills. erschien zuerst auf OTP.